James Burke

For as long as I can remember, Jodrell Bank played a large part in my life. It was where my parents would take my brother and I at the weekend, where we went on school trips, and, in the past decade, proved to be a great place to simply go and think. There is something awe-inspiring about such an enormous telescope situated in the middle of the Cheshire countryside, something that puts life on our planet back into perspective. There really is much more out there.

The world famous Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, part of the University of Manchester, has been a much-loved visitor attraction for many years, as well as an internationally significant space research centre.